


SOLUS

by alfing



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Doesn't really follow the original story of Rapunzel, Law as Rapunzel, M/M, Rapunzel AU, but oh well
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-28
Updated: 2017-08-31
Packaged: 2018-10-24 20:20:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 11,851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10749090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alfing/pseuds/alfing
Summary: Solus: (adj.) alone or unaccompanied.After the death of his family and Cora-san, Law is taken in by Doflamingo, confined to a single room for thirteen years of his life.(LawLu Rapunzel AU)





	1. Prologue

**I** t stinks. The air was foul, the stench of death everywhere. Where a building was collapsed, burning to the ground, bodies lay at its foot. In the streets that were once full of people—well, there were still people, they just weren’t alive. Families, friends, children, women, their corpses all scattered around the burning city. A single boy laid among the bodies, hiding beneath them, hoping not to be seen.

His face was pale as he watched the men with the guns and flamethrowers killing everything in sight. His frail body trembled as he recalled the bodies of his parents, covered in each other’s blood. His eyes glistened with tears as he remembered his younger sister’s terrified expression when he had told her to hide in the cabinet. But she was gone too.

After everyone was dead, the men rounded up the bodies, told to clean up the evidence before anyone found out. The boy continued to hide as he was wheeled out of the town with the rest of the corpses. He used this as his opportunity to escape, little legs sprinting away from the scene, not daring to look back. He stowed away onto a cargo ship, hiding in one of the many boxes. As he caught his breath, he saw that he was surrounded by hand-held explosives.

The Don Quixote pirates currently resided in the North Blue. They were known to be ruthless in their dealings, mercy not being one of their strong suits. Ideally, they were the best people to turn to when the world was your enemy. And that’s exactly how this young boy saw things.

Law, which was his name, approached the pirate headquarters with little hesitation. Covered in explosives, he walked through their territory with ease, passersby avoiding him as best as they could. The brim of Law’s spotted hat created a shade over his eyes that made his expression all the more intimidating. Reaching the main building in which the leader, Doflamingo, resided, he prepared himself to demand to be accepted into the Family.

What he hadn’t expected was to be thrown through a window by the leader’s brother.

 

The White Lead Disease was a disease that causes white patches to show up on your skin, attacking your cells, and eventually leading to your death. It was a disease that greatly effected Law, his skin growing more pale by the day. But he didn’t care, so long as he could accomplish his goal of world destruction. It wasn’t until Corazon learned of his true name that his world had truly turned upside down.

Corazon took him away to help him find a cure for his illness, taking him to every single hospital they could find. But none were any good, every one scorning him, accusing him of being a monster. Law’s disease continued to worsen. Corazon was determined, he didn’t give up yet. A call from Doflamingo changed things from there.

The Ope-Ope Fruit seemed to be their final hope. And so Corazon and Law, now bonded like father and son, set out for the island in which the devil fruit was contained. After successfully stealing the fruit from a band of pirates, Corazon got Law to eat it in order to rid himself of his illness. Though the boy was unsure of how to use his newfound powers. But, too exhausted to hold up for much longer, Corazon collapsed due to the many injuries he had received from his mission.

To add to their troubles, a member of the Don Quixote Family, Vergo, was also on the island. And after betraying Doflamingo, there was no way that he was looking to assist them.

The two ran. They ran as fast as they could with the injuries the both of them had already sustained. Corazon knew they couldn’t keep running like this to survive, so he changed his priorities. He had to get Law to safety no matter what happened. As they fled, they came across a pile of crates, an idea coming to Corazon’s mind. He quickly hid the confused boy in an empty box as he saw someone approaching.

Inside the box, Law trembled from fear and the cold. What was happening out there? He tried to look out the keyhole, but it was too small to see through. He grew anxious as he couldn’t hear much of what was happening outside. The closest voice he could hear was Cora-san’s, the rest was undefinable. Pressing his ear to the wall of the box, he attempted to listen. The sound of gunshots startled him. He abruptly jumped away from the noise, shaking inside of the crate. What happened? Who was shot? Is Cora-san alright? The lid of the box opened slowly, light filling the small space.

It was Doflamingo.

“There you are, Law,” the man greeted solemnly, not smiling like he usually did. “I was worried that they got you, too.”

“What do you mean?” his voice shook as he spoke. “Where’s Cora-san?”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t make it in time. The Navy... they killed him.”

Law’s chest tightened, eyes widening as he tried to process his words. Slowly, he stood from inside the box, looking down at the snow. Rather than the usual white, he saw red patches everywhere. On the ground Cora-san laid smiling, chest filled with bullet-holes. Law’s mouth opened and closed, not sure if he should scream or cry or both. A large hand rested on his head and he looked up quickly, tears threatening to spill from his eyes. Doflamingo looked down at him with solemnity.

“Let’s go home.”

 

Later that year, the Don Quixotes performed a coup d’etat, quickly taking over the kingdom of Dressrosa. The castle became Law’s new home as he was never allowed to leave it. Whenever he asked why, he learned it was because the power he possessed was very important, and if anything were to happen to him, that would cause a lot of trouble. So Law stopped questioning his confinement and instead focused on his studies. Often, he would have to practice using his devil fruit abilities under the supervision of the other executives. On his own, he would read many medical textbooks, gaining more skills to become a real surgeon someday. Even though he wasn’t allowed to go outside of the castle’s walls, he could still walk around in the courtyard or look outside his window. The highlight of his year was finding a baby polar bear hiding in the garden.

How it got there? He had no idea. But it could talk, so that was a bonus.

Law named his new friend Bepo and hid him in his room so he could have company whenever he felt like it. The two had fun playing games and reading books. Law expressed his dream of someday setting out to sea on his own, wanting to recall the feeling he had when he had traveled with Cora-san. Bepo supported his goal and promised that he would become a great navigator so he could help him travel the world. Law had laughed lightly but encouraged the thought.

“Together, we’ll shake the world.”


	2. 1

**T** hirteen years later, not much had changed. Law was now 26 and still confined to the same room in the same castle in the same kingdom. He had already read all of his books at least ten or twenty times. Bepo had gotten too big to hide now, but he didn’t have it in him to care. His control over his devil fruit powers were beyond sufficient, being able to generate ‘rooms’ large enough to cover most of Dressrosa.

Currently, he laid on his bed, using Bepo as a pillow as he stared idly at the ceiling. It would be his birthday soon and he wanted only to be allowed outside the castle grounds for once. A knock on the door caught his attention. With a sigh, Law sat up and reached for a sheet to cover his polar bear friend. It was a poor attempt to hide him, but neither of them cared. He went to answer the door, Gladius waited for him on the other side.

“The Young Master has returned and wants to see you,” he announced. Law grabbed his first aid kit that sat on his desk, holding it at his side. Gladius lead him through the castle to Doflamingo’s room, knocking once to notify him of their presence before opening the door. Inside, he sat in his chair leisurely, his light injuries obvious.

“Welcome back, Doflamingo,” Law greeted like he always did, though there was no emotion behind his words. “Shall I treat your wounds?”

Doflamingo reached his arm out towards the young man, grinning that sinister smile he always wore. Law opened his first aid kit, unrolling the gauze. There was nothing serious to tend to, so there was no need to use his powers. He knelt before the king of Dressrosa and put a fresh dressing on his wounds. After a few moments of silence, Law thought to bring up his birthday.

“So... it’s almost the sixth of October,” he mentioned hesitantly, tightening the bandages.

Doflamingo rose a brow at him but his smile remained. “And? Is there something happening on that day?” he asked.

Law was a little hurt that he had forgotten, again. “It’s my birthday,” he replied, cutting off the excess gauze and rolling the rest of it up.

“Ah, happy birthday, then,” Doflamingo said, albeit awkwardly, as he examined his new bandages. The young man before him frowned a bit, unsatisfied by his response. He put the gauze away into his box and stood.

“I... I’d like to ask you a favor,” he started. This caught the other’s attention, his smiling faltering a bit. Law’s grip tightened on the handle of his kit, knuckles turning white as he anticipated his answer.

“I’ll hear you out,” Doflamingo conceded, leaning back and gesturing with his hand for him to continue.

“I want to set out to sea,” he confessed, looking at the ground. There was silence. Law looked up slowly and saw that the smile had disappeared from the pirate’s face. Dread filled his chest. While Doflamingo had never hurt him in anyway before, he knew that sometimes, he could be cruel, so cruel, that the very things he had done were unspeakable.

“Why would you want to do that? Don’t you like it here in the castle where it’s safe? You know, it’s a dangerous world out there, Law. Of course you’d understand that after all you had been through,” the king’s smile returned again as he tried to convince him to stay.

“I know that there’s the Navy and other pirates to worry about, but I am capable of fighting to defend myself. Besides, I’ve decided that I have a dream to—”

“Oh, you poor, naïve child,” Doflamingo interrupted, his grin broadening. “There’s more than just pirates and the Navy out there.” He stood from his seat and slowly paced around Law. “There are all sorts of monsters lurking in the sea that are capable of swallowing entire ships. There are devilish creatures disguised as beautiful women who lure you into bankruptcy. There’s slavery and racism and discrimination in every nook and cranny in this sick world,” he placed a finger under Law’s chin and tilted it up so that he looked up at him. “And with that pretty face of yours, anyone would just love to eat you up.” Doflamingo released him and backed up into his seat once again. “I suggest you stay here where you’re protected. After all, Doffy knows best.”

Law wanted to protest, but knew that he was right. The world seemed so much more bigger when he heard all those bad things about it. He bowed his head in dismay, turning towards the door. “I’ll stay,” he promised.

Doflamingo chuckled. “That’s good to hear, Law. Now go on and continue with your studies,” he dismissed. The young man exited the room and was escorted back to his own by Gladius. As soon as he returned, Bepo perked up from where he was hiding and greeted his friend happily.

“How did it go, Law? Did he say you could go?” he inquired enthusiastically, recalling how the other had wanted to ask about leaving.

Law shook his head solemnly. Bepo’s enthusiasm slowly disappeared as looked at his friend with empathy. “Sorry, Bepo. We’ll have to wait a little longer,” he apologized, petting the polar bear’s head before sitting at his desk. He pulled a book off his shelf and dropped it in front of him. With a sigh, he began to read.

 

The next time Doflamingo left Dressrosa wasn’t until a few weeks later. He had visited Law in his room before he had to leave, bidding him goodbye like he always did. “I’ll be back soon,” he had promised, ruffling his hair like he was some child. He was an adult for crying out loud. As soon as the pirate had left along with some of the Family’s major executives (i.e. Señor Pink, Baby Five, Buffalo, etc.) things had quieted around the castle. The remaining Family members (Dellinger, Giolla, Lao G, and Violet, along with Trebol, Pica, and Diamante who were almost never in the castle as is) were barely around to check up on him, leaving him on his own for most of the time. It was nice actually, getting time for himself.

Law went on a walk in the empty garden with Bepo, a book balanced in one hand and _Kikoku_ grasped in the other as they strolled down the dirt path. He recited different facts about human anatomy aloud, exercising his mind with the addition of new information. “There are eleven major systems in the human body, though it would be twelve if you saw the lymphatic system its own system,” he noted, causing Bepo to tilt his head curiously. “Personally, it’s easier just to group it with the immune system, there’s less things to remember that way.”

A rustle in the bushes caught their attention and Law immediately held his _nodachi_ in preparation for a fight. Bepo transitioned into a defensive stance, glaring at the bush that had rustled as well. From said shrub, a tuft of black hair sprouted from between the leaves, causing the two of them to jump back a bit in surprise. The tuft slowly grew as a boy with large, round eyes revealed himself from his hiding place. After blinking at each other for a few moments, the boy grinned brightly, a noise sounding like a laugh erupting from his smile.

“ _Shishishi_! Hi, I’m Luffy, and I’m going to become King of the Pirates! What’s your name?”


	3. 2

**L** aw blinked again, obviously astounded by the appearance of a stranger in the garden. But quickly, he regained his senses and reminded himself to be more alert. He repositioned his  _ Kikoku _ so that it rested on his shoulder once more. “Trafalgar Law,” he replied, raising a brow in addition to his calculating expression. “And what do you mean, King of the Pirates? The hell kind of fantasy is that?”

Luffy picked at his nose as he processed this information slowly. “The King of the Pirates is the freest person in the world! He can do whatever he wants and no one can stop him. That’s what I want to be! What about you, Traf-Trag-To- _ Torao _ ?”

Law cringed at the nickname before sighing. “I’m not required to tell you any of my dreams or ambitions. Anyway, you should leave before any Family members show up. You could get in trouble for trespassing,” he warned. Much to his irritation, the boy wasn’t listening. Instead, he was transfixed on what was beside him.

“You-you have a  _ polar bear _ ?” he exclaimed, eyes shining with awe. “That’s so cool!”

Bepo blushed, obviously flattered. “I-I’m not  _ that  _ cool,” he muttered with embarrassment. Luffy’s excitement increased tenfold.

“It can  _ talk _ ?”

Law quickly hushed the both of them. “Shut up, you two, before anyone hears us!” he hissed, annoyance evident. Luffy jumped from the bushes, landing in front of the other two with ease. He was clad in a red cardigan and a pair of jean shorts, his feet wearing a pair of worn sandals. He had two obvious scars, one underneath his eye and an x-shaped one that was on his chest. But the most prominent accessory on the boy was the straw hat that hung from his neck.

“I’m hungry,” Luffy complained, a loud rumble coming from his stomach. “Do you have any food around here?” Law sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He began walking back to the castle, expecting the boy to follow him inside. Luffy beamed and bounced cheerily behind him.

“So, do you live here?” the straw hat wearing boy asked, looking around the building curiously. “Are you a prince or something?”

“Yes, I live here. No, I’m not a prince,” he replied, stopping when they came to the kitchen. Law peeked inside and saw that there was only the cooks in there. He turned back to Luffy. “Stay here, I’ll get you food.” He stepped into the kitchen without announcement, the cooks looking up briefly to see who had come in.

“Oh, it’s Mr. Law,” one of the cooks noticed, smiling politely. “How can we help you?”

“I’d like some food, I haven’t eaten yet today,” he requested. “A few plates of food will suffice. Please deliver it to my room when it’s ready.”

“Right away, sir!”

 

The food arrived thirty minutes later and Law gave it all to his guest. Luffy’s eyes glimmered with delight as he looked upon the meals, drool spilling from the side of his mouth. Immediately, he began to dig in, cheeks puffing as they were filled with food. Law watched with disgust, sitting back on his bed as the boy devoured the plates on his floor. 

“How did you get in here anyway?” he thought to ask some time later after Luffy had finished eating all the food.

“I was playing cannon with my  _ nakama _ . But Franky accidentally shot me too far and I ended up landing in those bushes. But it was fun! I got to see that whole island quickly that way,” the boy explained.

“Are you not from Dressrosa?” Law asked, intrigued. He only ever heard about the outside world from Doflamingo and the other executives.

“Nope! My crew and I just arrived here yesterday, right now we’re restocking on supplies,” Luffy sat up excitedly.

“Wait, you’re a pirate? A real pirate?”

“Yep! I’m the captain!”

Law was surprised. He didn’t expect to meet a pirate captain so suddenly. But most of all, he didn’t think that Luffy was capable of being a captain  _ or  _ a pirate. “How long have you been travelling? What kinds of things have you seen? What’s your crew like?” he felt a strong need to know more about the world, after all it was his dream to leave this castle once and for all.

“That’s a lot of questions,” Luffy said, frowning in thought. “Um... we’ve been travelling for awhile I think. I don’t know how long, but Nami keeps track of that. And we’ve seen all sorts of cool stuff! Like a whale as tall as a mountain, and an island that floats in the sky! There was also this cool place called Water 7 that had water  _ everywhere _ . We also went to Fishman Island which is an island underneath the sea,” as he spoke, Luffy flailed his arms with much enthusiasm, causing Law to smile very slightly. “And there are eight people in my crew, not counting me! There’s Zoro who uses three-swords to fight and he used to be super cool but now he’s kinda lazy, but that’s okay. Then there’s Sanji who is the best cook in the entire universe! He uses kicks to fight because he says that he can’t hurt his hands otherwise he can’t cook. And then Usopp is our sniper, he’s a big scaredy cat most of the time and he lies a lot but he always pulls through for our crew! Our ship’s doctor is Chopper who’s a talking reindeer and he can turn into a super cool monster sometimes but other times he’s just really tiny. Franky is our cyborg shipwright, he can make anything and can shoot beams from his hands and lights from his nipples! Then there’s Brook, he’s a talking skeleton and our musician, because you can’t be a pirate crew without a musician. He always tells us funny jokes about his bones! Finally, there’s Nami and Robin; Nami is our navigator but she’s super mean and greedy and Robin is our archaeologist who can make hands appear like flowers!”

Law blinked. “Are you really telling the truth?” he asked skeptically. Cyborg shipwrights, skeleton musicians, and reindeer doctors? And those adventures he described seemed like something straight out of a fairy tale, there was no way he could believe him.

Luffy laughed. “ _ Shishishi _ ! Of course I am! I think you’d like meeting them, we can have a party together,  _ Torao _ !”

“I can’t do that,” Law said. “I’m not allowed to leave this castle.”

“Eh? Why not?” the boy frowned, getting close to the other curiously.

“Doflamingo would get mad if I left without his permission,” he explained. He then sighed. “I think you should go now, you’ve stayed too long already.”

“Why don’t you just go anyway?” Luffy asked, suddenly serious.

Law looked up at him, eyes widening slightly. “What?”

“Just leave! You don’t need permission to go where you want. No one owns you but yourself so  _ you  _ decide where you want to go, not this Mingo guy,” the boy stated seriously. “So if you want to go, I’ll help you.” Luffy held his hand out to him and Law stared at it hesitantly. “Do what you want to do,  _ Torao _ .”


	4. 3

**L** aw couldn’t believe that he had actually decided to go with some boy he had only just met who claims to have a crew full of reindeers, cyborgs, and skeletons. To make things worse, apparently he was also made of rubber. Luffy had an arm wrapped around his waist as he swung them through the city. Bepo clung desperately to the boy’s back as he zipped between the buildings with his free arm. The situation felt surreal, there was no way this was really happening. Eventually, the two reached the end of the island, landing on a ship that waited for them at the shore.

“I’m back!” Luffy announced loudly, standing up immediately after crashing. “I brought new friends!”

The people who had been on the deck at the time (a long nosed man, an orange haired woman, and a green haired swordsman) were unfazed by the turn of events. “If you found another talking monster, Luffy,” the woman began, giving her captain the evil eye. Law assumed her to be the navigator.

“They aren’t talking monsters, I promise!” Luffy laughed, unaware of how dangerously close the girl was to strangling him. “I only brought a talking polar bear and a mysterious sheltered prince!”

“I told you I’m not a prince!” Law snapped in annoyance, standing up from where he was dropped. “And who said we were friends?”

A blond man appeared from what seemed to be the kitchen, smoking a cigarette as he looked to see what all the commotion was about. “Looks like there are more mouths to feed,” he muttered and as soon as he saw the orange haired woman, his eyes turned to hearts and he danced down the stairs gleefully. “Nami-swan!” When he reached the bottom of the steps, a boot swung out to trip him. Said boot belonged to the green haired swordsman who had been sitting on the deck the entire time. The blonde man’s attention immediately turned to the one who had provoked him, fury evident in his expression.

“What the hell was that for, shitty swordsman?” he hissed, stalking angrily towards the other, hands buried in his pockets.

“It’s not my fault you’re so much of an idiot that you didn’t see my foot coming, perverted cook,” the swordsman shot back.

“What did you say, moss-head?” the other swung a hard kick at him but was blocked by a pair of swords.

“You wanna go, curly brows?” he challenged.

In the background, Luffy laughed at the scene. “Aren’t they hilarious?” he asked Law, an arm slung around the taller man’s shoulders. Law watched without the same amusement. They were all insane. Perhaps he should have stayed at the castle after all. The long nose man approached them with a cocky expression.

“Allow me to introduce myself, I am the infamous captain Usopp, the leader of the Usopp Pirates! I’ll only let you join if you can prove your worth,” he declared haughtily.

Law rose a brow at him but chose to ignore his nonsensical ramblings and turned to Luffy instead. “Luffy-ya, I’m glad that you brought me this far, but I think it might be better if I just stayed behind. You don’t know what Doflamingo is capable of. If he founds out that I left-”

“ _ Shishishi _ ! Then we’ll just have to bring you home before Mingo gets back!” Luffy decided. “C’mon, at least go on one adventure with us! It’ll be fun!”

“It’s best if you just do what he says,” the navigator, Nami, said, a sympathetic smile on her face. “Once he’s made a decision, there’s no getting out of it.”

With a sigh, Law accepted his fate. “Alright, one trip is all I’ll allow. But we can’t go for too long, okay? A week or two is the maximum-”

“Yahoooo! We’re going on an adventure! Franky, pull up the anchor and set sail to the next island!” Luffy exclaimed, ignoring the rest of the other’s sentence.

It was in that moment that Law realized he regretted everything he did that day.

 

They had been travelling on the sea for a day now. Dressrosa had long disappeared behind them and Law felt excitement for what was to come. It had been years since he last traveled like this, though at the time he had been deathly ill. He stood on the yard of the ship that was called the Thousand Sunny, the sea breeze smelled of salt and a metaphorical freedom. Bepo dozed quietly against the ship’s railing as they swayed against the waves. Sanji came from the galley.

“Hey, food’s ready,” he announced before walking back inside. Law woke Bepo and the two went to the kitchen along with the rest of the crew. Large platters of meat and various other meals were placed on the table for them as they took a seat. Luffy immediately dug in without warning, Usopp and Chopper soon following suit. Law ignored their clamour and ate quietly in return.

“So,  _ Torao _ ,” Nami began.

“My name is Trafalgar Law,” he corrected after swallowing a bite of fish.

“Whatever,” she dismissed uncaringly, much to his annoyance. “Luffy said you were living in that castle right? So you must have loads of cash.”

Zoro rolled his eyes. “There she goes again,” he muttered.

“Once she gets started there’s no stopping her,” Usopp said through a full mouth.

“I don’t have any money with me at the moment if that’s what you’re asking about,” Law answered, concerned by the way Nami had been looking at him.

“That’s okay, you can pay us later,” she decided.

Before he could protest, a rubbery arm curled around him, wielding a stick of meat. “ _ Torao _ , you have to try this! It’s super tasty!: Luffy suggested, but Law crinkled his nose at the messy food.

“I think I’ll pass, Luffy-ya.”

Their meal continued like this, always rowdier than it should be. But Law was intrigued by the way they behaved. Meals with the Family were never this fun, they were usually more sober and they would only talk of business. The feeling of the Sunny shaking caught everyone’s attention. There was noise coming from outside.

Everyone rushed out to the deck to see what was going on. Behind them was a Navy ship. Law suddenly felt nervous. He had never had the chance to fight since he was younger, but that was before he had his powers. He unsheathed his  _ nodachi _ and looked to the rest of the crew for support. Luffy was surprisingly pale as he stared at the figurehead of the Navy ship. Law followed his gaze and saw that there was a figure standing at the front. It was an old man wearing a weird hat that resembled some sort of animal.

“Luffy! Trying to run away from your grandpa again?” the marine yelled while preparing to throw another cannonball with his bare hands.

The crew was quick to call for a  _ Coup de Burst _ .


	5. 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Warning: feels train *toot toot*

**T** hey soared through the sky quickly, cannonballs following them rapidly. Law clung to the Sunny’s mast desperately, in an attempt to keep himself on the ship. Already, he felt like their adventure was starting chaotically. He never asked for this. He just wanted to travel around and see new things. Not get chased around by marines who could actually  _ throw cannonballs with their bare hands _ . But apparently, Law was the only one who felt that way as Luffy and his friends were either cheering or grinning triumphantly. The cannons soon stopped coming and they landed with a crash somewhere in the ocean. Law fell back onto the yard with a loud thud and he gave a scowl of disapproval.

“Was that really necessary?” he asked the rubber-man. Luffy merely gave him another grin before clapping him on the back.

“‘Course it was. There’s no way I can beat my gramps!” he replied, much to Law’s annoyance. Before he could ask anymore questions, the navigator, Nami, called out to them.

“The next island is already in view! Looks like it wasn’t that far from Dressrosa,” she announced, using Usopp’s binoculars to look across the horizon. Luffy dragged Law over to the Sunny’s figurehead so that they could sit on it together.

“This is where our adventure starts,  _ Torao _ !” the rubber-man declared cheerily, pointing over to the island in front of them.

Law couldn’t help but stare, excitement not expressed on his face, but in his eyes. He could barely believe that he’s actually going somewhere new. He had never explored the Grand Line before, since he had never left Dressrosa in his thirteen years of living there. From what he could see of the island they were approaching, it was a lot different than what he was used to. It looked like the entire place was some sort of jungle. He could tell that the trees were extremely tall and made up most of the island, and the roots were bigger than the Sunny itself.

  
  


They docked at its shore, lowering the anchor. Nami split them into two groups. One group would go on to the island and look for a town, the other would stay on the ship. Naturally, Luffy volunteered to go, bringing Law along with him. Other than those two, Sanji and Chopper were the other additions to their group. The four of them walked deep into the jungle until they came to the point where they couldn’t see the shore anymore. Law was on edge, the grip on his  _ Kikoku _ tight. He couldn’t help but feel afraid that something was going to leap out at them at any moment. Though the other three didn’t seem worried at all.

“I hope that if we find a town, there’ll be lots of tasty food. I’m starving!” Luffy wondered aloud, arms held behind his head as they strolled along.

“We’ve been looking for twenty minutes, I’m starting to doubt that there’s any town on this island,” Law said, ever the pessimist.

“We haven’t looked everywhere, so there could still be a town.”

He wanted to protest, but his attention was suddenly drawn elsewhere when there was a loud rustle in the bushes beside them. Everyone paused to look in that direction, a mixture of curiosity and suspicion in the aura about them. From behind the trees, a large group of people jumped out, all of them poised to attack.

“If you want to live, get out of my territory!” said a short man with a strange red nose. Law glared at them and made to unsheath his  _ nodachi _ when Luffy suddenly spoke.

“Hey, it’s Buggy!” he noticed cheerily, much to the red-nosed man’s horror. “Ah, and there’s San! And Bon-chan!” He pointed to two of the others who had jumped out of the bushes.

The one who was addressed as Bon-chan seemed delighted to see the rubber-man as opposed to his comrades who seemed absolutely horrified. “ _ Mugi _ - _ chan _ !” he twirled over to Luffy and the two embraced, tears of happiness practically pouring from each other’s eyes. “I’m so happy to see you!”

Law was confused by the reunion, but when he turned to Sanji and Chopper for answers, he only received a shrug in return. “So, what happened to you guys?” Luffy asked them, sitting cross legged on the ground.

Buggy crossed his arms and gave the boy a scowl. “I’ll have you know, Straw Hat, that I’ve become one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea! As you can see, I’ve become extremely powerful, so powerful, in fact, that the Navy had decided to work with me. And with the marines off my back, I can finally become the richest pirate in the world!” Behind him, several of Buggy’s followers cheered, chanting their captain’s name enthusiastically.

“Eh, really? Well, good for you, I guess,” Luffy said unsurely. On the other hand, Law was conflicted. He had heard about the Seven Warlords and how powerful they were. Hell, Doflamingo was one of them! But this guy didn’t look like he could last very long in a fight, despite his prestigious title. Still, Law didn’t trust him, he could tell Doflamingo about him and then he’d get into some serious trouble.

“Luffy-ya, I think we should go,” he insisted, putting a hand on the boy’s shoulder. The rubber-man looked at him curiously, brows raised as though he were silently asking why. Once again, Law was interrupted, this time, by the sound of a cannon. Everyone quickly looked and saw the same marine ship from before. Buggy’s eyes bulged out of his skull.

“Vice Admiral Garp? What is he doing here?” he screeched in alarm. 

“Damn, Luffy, we have to go,” Sanji said, grabbing his captain’s arm. Bon Clay twirled around them again and gave a grin to his friend.

“Don’t worry,  _ Mugi _ - _ chan _ , we’ll cover for you!” he assured. “Now hurry back to your ship!”

Luffy returned the grin before grabbing all his friends, slingshotting back towards the Sunny, their screams echoing as they went. They landed on the deck and the anchor was lifted and sails unfurled. They couldn’t actually leave the island yet, not until the log pose set, but that wasn’t for another ten minutes. They decided they would move the ship for now, hiding under a cliff on the side of the island. Unfortunately, as they thought they would be safe for the time being, Garp’s ship found them anyway. Luffy frowned but prepared himself to fight anyway.

“Wait, Luffy!” Nami stopped him and dragged him off to the side along with Bepo and Law. “You three go hide on the island. We can’t have the Navy knowing we kidnapped a prince from another country.”

“I said I’m not a prince,” Law insisted, scowling. But his words were unheard again when Luffy gave a nod to his navigator, wrapping his arms around Law and Bepo once more.

“I’ll leave it up to you guys, then,” the rubber-man decided before jumping back onto the island. Though the action did not go unnoticed by Garp.

 

The three of them ran through the jungle again, Law stumbling over roots as he struggled to keep up. Eventually they stopped when they saw a cannon fly past them, hitting one of the giant trees. Luffy turned and saw his grandpa marching towards them.

“Luffy! Stop running from me if you know what’s good for you!” the old man shouted, even if he didn’t really seem all that mad. “I’ve got a ton of scolding to do. You know how much paperwork I had to do because of your messes?”

Luffy grabbed Law’s hand and they ran again, Bepo hurrying beside him. Another cannon was thrown at them, this time, it hit Luffy right in the head. The boy’s neck stretched as the impact forced it to move forward, the explosion happening far away from the rest of his body. When his head came back, Luffy was unconscious, even if he was still running. Law’s eyes were wide with shock and confusion, but he put the boy on Bepo’s back, continuing to run. Eventually, he found an opening in a tree and he climbed in to hide, his polar bear following after. Garp passed by, unaware of their presence, and they were safe for now. Law panted, heart still racing after that chase. He looked over to Luffy who’s face was dirtied and bruised from the explosion. At least he was still breathing. Soon, the rubber-man’s eyes peeked open and he looked over at his friend.

“That didn’t hurt at all,” he lied, smoke practically emitting from his mouth. Law rolled his eyes and decided that he should probably use his powers to good use.

“Don’t move, Luffy-ya, I’m going to fix you up,” he assured, unsheathing his  _ Kikoku _ . Bepo held the boy down when he suddenly looked alarmed.

“Hey,  _ Torao _ , what are you doing with that? I thought you said you were going to fix me?” Luffy panicked.

“Just hold still,” Law insisted, generating a “room”. He then used his  _ nodachi _ to separate the boy’s head from his body. Luffy gave a surprised scream, but stopped when he saw that he was still alive.

“What the-” he looked down at his own body which he could still control on his own. “This is so cool! How did you do that?”

“Not now, I’ll explain later,” he said before continuing to cut him up so he could find what was wrong. He found a piece of the bomb hidden inside of him and he removed it quickly before reattaching everything to where it belonged. Once put together, Luffy looked at his arms as though he couldn’t believe that they were still there. Law sighed, sheathing his  _ Kikoku _ . “Like you, I ate a devil fruit, okay? When I was a child, I was suffering from something called the White Lead Disease. There was no known cure for it at the time. I met this man named Corazon who tried to help me find a cure, that’s when we found out about the  _ Ope-Ope no Mi _ . He got the fruit for me, risking his life in the progress. Doflamingo told me that he was killed by the marines.” A pained look was cast upon his face and he looked away. “He didn’t deserve to die. Not because of me.” Law pressed the heel of his palm into his eye, fighting back tears.

Luffy frowned and grabbed his hand. “Listen to me,  _ Torao _ . That fruit helped get rid of that disease, right? That fruit helped you live, right? So you can’t say that this Cora guy shouldn’t have died for you! That’s not for you to decide! He died because he wanted to protect you no matter what,” he said, looking straight into his friend’s eyes. “I know what it’s like to lose someone because they were protecting you. And for awhile, I kept telling myself that it was because I wasn’t strong enough, and so I trained hard so I could be able to protect all my friends. But then I learned that I was thankful, so I could live and achieve my dreams on their behalf, got it? So don’t go beating yourself up because you’re alive. You gotta live for them, right?”

Law stared at Luffy, unable to say anything, because he was right. He was absolutely right. He wanted to say more, but was yet again interrupted by the sound of the other Straw Hats calling for their captain. Luffy poked his head out from the tree to call back to them. He then turned back and held his hand out in front of Law, a smile on his face.

“Come on, our adventure isn’t over yet!”


	6. 5

**I** t turned out that Garp had decided to give up on looking for his grandson for the time being and retreated back to Marineford. The Straw Hats and the others were relieved that they wouldn’t have to worry about any more surprise attacks for now and decided to have a celebratory party three days in a row instead, a majority of them involving dancing around bonfires built at the very last second. They were very noisy events with lots of cheers and the clanging of metal objects echoing throughout the island. Law opted to sit on a log far away from the heat of the fire most of the time, watching with mild interest, focusing instead on a meal cooked by Sanji. He had never seen anything so exciting before, not even when he watched the colosseum fights from the castle. Bepo seemed to enjoy himself as well, dancing with the other pirates. While he spectated silently, his eyes met Luffy’s who was banging aggressively on a pot. A blush spread across his cheeks as he recalled the moment that they had before underneath the tree, embarrassed that he had been so open with this boy he had just met. He looked away, quickly eating the rest of his food to distract himself.

Soon, the party calmed down and the bonfire shrank into barely a smolder.  Most of the pirates had fallen asleep all over the place, some looking to be in rather uncomfortable positions. Law was one of the few who were still awake, sitting where he had been since they started. Despite the fact that Garp had left and there was no sign of him returning any time soon, he felt an uneasiness regarding their current situation. He stood, holding his  _ Kikoku _ and wandered deeper into the jungle to clear his mind. Once he was far enough that he could only just see the remnants of the fire burning in the distance, he stopped. Law adjusted his hat which sat messily atop his head after Luffy had insisted on wearing it so many times. The thought of the rubber-man caused an unusual feeling to stir in his chest and the heat to return to his cheeks. What was happening to him? Why would his heart skip a beat at the very mention of the pirate’s name? He sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. This was ridiculous, they had only just met.

Then again, he found that he was starting to become unable to resist his silly grin and charming personality. “I can’t believe this is happening,” he said aloud, leaning his back against a tree.

“Neither can I,” came a familiar voice from behind him. Law jumped and turned quickly, hand gripping his  _ Kikoku _ automatically. A figure came from the other side of the tree which he had just been leaning on. For a moment, he could only see the person’s vague silhouette. But then, he noticed more details once they stepped into the light. It was the last person he wanted to see.

“Doflamingo,” he realized, eyes wide, his body shaking. He was back earlier than Law had anticipated, even worse, he found out that he had left Dressrosa without permission. “I... I can explain.”

“There’s nothing to explain, Law. You left without me knowing. That much is obvious,” the chuckle that came from him was chilling. He was definitely mad. “You’re travelling with the Straw Hats. Obviously, you don’t realize the danger you are in. They’re pirates, some of the most wanted felons on the seas. Even the World Government sees them as a threat. You can’t actually believe they’re your friends, do you, Law?”

The other gave a look of disbelief. Luffy and the others didn’t seem like dangerous pirates from what he experienced. Sure, he could believe that they were strong enough to piss off the government, but he didn’t think they would hurt him. Not on purpose, at least. “You’re wrong. They’re not bad people,” he insisted.

“How do you know? You’ve only known them for a few days, what right do you have to be able to judge their characters?”

Law opened his mouth to protest, but found that he couldn’t. Doflamingo was right. He didn’t know them that well, he had only just met them. He thought about Luffy and his insane love of meat, and his recklessness, and his love and devotion towards his friends. He recalled his goofy smile and loud laugh and the exciting, yet ridiculous way he told stories. “I may not know them that well, but I still believe that I can trust them, no matter what.”

Doflamingo’s smile turned into a scowl and Law was afraid that he had said too much. Before anything else could happen, Luffy’s voice called out to him and he instinctively looked away. But when he turned back, Doflamingo was gone.

 

Law found his way back to the camp and saw that almost everyone was awake again. Luffy waved him over and he sighed, complying despite feeling reluctant about talking to him after what had just happened. He sat beside the rubber-man on another log at a far distance. Luffy frowned and scooched closer to him.

“Where did you wander off to?” he asked curiously, beaming at his friend. Law frowned and avoided his gaze, debating on whether or not he should tell him. He opted not to.

“Nowhere in particular,” he replied vaguely, trying hard to ignore the face staring intently at him from behind. He could tell that Luffy didn’t quite believe him, but he was glad when he backed off. Sanji called to them, tell them that they should help clean up so they could head out soon. But instead of complying to his friend’s request, Luffy grabbed Law and dashed into the jungle again, much to the cook’s annoyance.

The two ended up at the edge of the island, the sun rising over the sea and the waves crashing onto the shore. Law frowned at the rubber-man in disapproval, but was surprised when he didn’t see that usual sheepish grin. Luffy was looking out across the horizon as they stood beside one another and he slowly followed his gaze.

“Hey,  _ Torao _ . What do you really wanna do? What’s your dream?” he asked suddenly, not looking at him yet. 

Law wasn’t quite sure how to answer his question. He already told him that he wanted to go on an adventure at least once in his life. But now... he knew that wasn’t his real goal. “I want to become a surgeon,” he said. “And a pirate. I want to start my own crew and travel the world.” When Law turned his head, Luffy was smiling at him, his hand held out in front of him.

“Then you and I can be allies and I’ll help you achieve your dream!”


	7. 6

**T** hey prepared for their next adventure hastily, secretly receiving supplies from Bon Clay who grabbed it from the Buggy pirates while they were sleeping. They made sure to thank him before setting off once again. The ship was abuzz as the younger members of the crew chatted excitedly about the next island, making ridiculous predictions, though anything was possible in this part of the world.

“Maybe it’ll be a meat island where everything is made of meat,” Luffy wondered, drooling at the thought.

“Or maybe it’ll be a candy island!” Chopper suggested, mimicking Luffy’s expression.

“Those both sound improbable,” Law grumbled from where he sat. It wasn’t like he actually cared, but he was forced to sit in on their conversation, so obviously he had to contribute some how. Luffy laughed.

“Then what kind of island do you think it’ll be?” the rubber-man asked, genuinely curious.

Law was unsure of how to answer that. He found that has been a recurring issue for him. The questions Luffy asked were ones that Law never really had to answer before, so he was always unprepared. Though the feeling wasn’t unwelcome. “Maybe an autumn island? I don’t know, don’t ask me,” he muttered, slightly embarrassed by his lame answer. He was getting absorbed in their lifestyle, he realized. Even though he had only been with them for a short while, he was still affected quite quickly and he wasn’t sure if he should be impressed or annoyed.

Suddenly, Usopp squinted at the sky suspiciously. “Is it just me, or does something seem to be flying towards us?” he pointed up towards the clouds. Everyone turned their gazes in that direction and saw what looked like an odd speck flying towards the Sunny. Law stood and stared intensely at the speck that was slowly becoming more than one. Dread filled his chest as he recognized the figures soaring to them. On the left was Buffalo who was carrying Baby Five, on the right was Caesar and monet, the latter holding onto Vergo who had what looked like a spoon stuck to his face. And in the lead was Doflamingo himself, his eerie grin present as per usual.

As soon as the group grew nearer, the Straw Hats could also tell that they were soon to be under attack and prepared to fight. But Law wasn’t going to let that happen. “We have to get away! There’s no way you guys can take them on!” he yelled at them, obviously terrified. Even Bepo retreated to hide indoors. But despite his warning, the pirates didn’t seem discouraged. 

“Don’t worry,  _ Torao _ , we’ve never lost a fight before,” Luffy hit his fist into his palm, smirking with confidence. “We’ll protect you, no matter what!”

While Law was touched, Luffy’s words didn’t do much to convince him that everything would be fine. He had lived with the Don Quixote family for 13 years, he knew how strong they were, he knew what they were like. He clenched his fists, grit his teeth, and turned towards the flying figures with a firm glare.

Baby Five turned her arm into a cannon and a direct shot hit the Sunny, causing the ship to tilt to the side violently. While the Straw Hats were thrown off by the sudden impact, Caesar spread a gas onto the ship that would knock out everyone on board. Monet brought Vergo down towards the deck who ran towards Law with his bamboo stick reinforced with Armament Haki. The older man hit him across the head before he had the chance to process what was happening, rendering him unconscious. Vergo caught him in his arms and ran to the other side of the deck, jumping off while carrying Law and was picked up once again by Monet.  Finally, Doflamingo use his ability to cut off the mast of the Sunny, temporarily making them unable to sail after them. At least not immediately.

As the group flew back to Dressrosa, Law was able to remain conscious just for a few seconds. Through his haze he could see the aftermath of the completely one sided battle before he blacked out once again.

 

When he woke up, he was on the floor of his old room. Everything was spinning as he sat up, attempting to look around. His head hurt like hell and he swore he was bleeding. The events that occurred previously were a blur and he could barely remember what he was doing. Until he did. The memories refused to come back to him and he slowly stood, staggering slightly. His window was blocked off with Sea Prism Stone and his door didn’t have a handle on the inside. There was no way out. Law flinched when there was a knock on the door, instinctively reaching for his  _ Kikoku _ only to find that it was nowhere near him. The door opened and Doflamingo was there, wearing that sinister grin.

“It’s nice to finally have you back, Law,” he welcomed, stepping forward to hover over him. “Are you feeling better? I doubt that those bandages are doing much help.”

Law winced again, feeling another sharp pain in his head. “What happened to me?” he asked, unable to shake the feeling that he was in danger. “Where’s my sword? Where’s Bepo? And why am I locked up?”

“That’s a lot of questions. But don’t worry, I can explain it all,” Doflamingo assured, laying a hand on the shorter man’s shoulder. “Those pirates you called your friends, the Straw Hats, they attacked you.”

Law’s eyes widened, suddenly remembering the short adventure he had with them. “What? Why? I don’t... I don’t remember that-”

“They hit you pretty hard, of course your memories are going to be a little jumbled. If it weren’t for the others and myself, you probably would have been killed.”

“Then Bepo?”

“Unfortunately we couldn’t save your friend,” Doflamingo appeared sympathetic before turning back towards the door. “We’ve locked you in this room to ensure your safety. I don’t want something like that happening again.” He left the room and closed the door behind him, Law’s devastated expression hidden once he did. Down the hallway, Caesar was waiting for him, his grin matching Doflamingo’s.

“So?” the gas-man inquired curiously.

“Not bad,” said the other. “Your drug really did erase his memories of the fight. I ought to give you a raise.” Doflamingo glanced back towards Law’s room before starting down the corridor, Caesar following closely behind. “Soon, it will be time for that boy to give me what I desire.”

“And what would that be?”

There was a moment where he responded only with a brief chuckle. “Immortality, of course. The power of the  _ Ope-Ope no Mi _ is capable of granting that. At the price of the user’s life, unfortunately. Though, that’s all Law is worth to me in the first place. Besides that, his existence means nothing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: ahhh, sorry for such a short chapter! I wanted to cut it off there so I could write a lot more for the last couple of chapters! SOLUS is almost coming to an end, how exciting! I want to thank you all right now for reading and supporting me. It all means so much and I hope I can receive more reviews and I always enjoy reading the comments you guys send and all the kudos you leave! Once again, thank you for sticking with me this long, even though my writing isn't the best. ^^
> 
> Also, I wanted to thank @lostintinyworld ( http://lostintinyworld.tumblr.com/ ) for helping me come up with some ideas for this story!


	8. 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Strangling/Violence
> 
> THIS IS THE SECOND TO LAST CHAPTER GUYS AHHHHH  
> THE LAST ONE SHOULD BE UP BY THE END OF THIS WEEK IF NOT SOONER

**T** he crew eventually regained consciousness, but when they did, it was already night. Chopper was the first to wake up and he looked around groggily, slowly taking in everyone’s limp bodies across the deck. At first, he was confused, and then he was shocked, and that shock turned into panic. The reindeer doctor hurried over to his crewmates to check their vitals, sighing in relief when he found they were still alive, just sleeping. One by one, everyone else began to get up with Luffy being the last one to do so. Their captain had been the slowest to recall the events that had happened and was furious when he did.

“We have to save  _ Torao _ !” he demanded, hitting his fist on the table after everyone had gathered in the galley to discuss what to do next.

“Don’t be so hasty, Luffy,” Nami insisted. “‘We all think of  _ Torao _ as a friend, too. But technically, you were the one who kidnapped him from the palace in the first place. Obviously, he was brought back because he wasn’t supposed to be gone in the first place.”

“Besides,” Usopp added, a fearful look in his eyes. “The king of Dressrosa is Doflamingo! That guy is one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea! And you saw how strong he is? Look what he did to the Sunny!” He gestured out the galley window, showing Franky trying to fix up the mast and the side of the ship.

“I don’t care. I decided that  _ Torao _ is not only my friend, but he’s gonna be one of our  _ nakama _ , too. So we have to save him, no matter what,” Luffy said stubbornly, crossing his arms with finality.

“But we’re up against  _ Doflamingo _ , weren’t you listening?” Usopp continued. “If Law is a prince that means he’s like his father or something, right?”

“So what? I’ll still kick his ass. Besides, that Mingo guy doesn’t seem like a good person to me. If he really wanted Law to come back, he’d talk it out, right? Not have someone hit him across the head with a stick,” Luffy commented, earning a few murmurs of agreement from his crewmates. “Then that’s settled, we’re gonna save  _ Torao _ !”

And with great reluctance, and Franky’s final touches to fixing the Sunny, they changed their course and sailed right back to Dressrosa. Nami insisted that they make some sort of plan first and came up with that they sneak into the palace with the minimum amount of fights possible.

Luffy frowned. “But I wanna beat up Mingo.”

“You can’t.”

“But I wanna.”

“Luffy, please,” Nami sighed, rubbing her temple as she felt a headache coming on. “It’s better to play it safe. This way, we won’t put anyone in danger. Especially not  _ Torao _ , right?”

Luffy made a face, not quite agreeing with her, but knew that she’d probably beat him up if he refused again. “Fine,” he complied, slouching in his seat childishly. “But I still wanna beat him up.”

Nami ignored his last comment. “The only problem is that we don’t know much about the palace, so looking for  _ Torao _ is going to be hard. We’ll also need to dock the Sunny somewhere where we won’t be seen,” she pointed at the map laid out before them. “This coast here is hidden good enough. And one more thing, we should split up in different groups so we won’t gather too much attention.”

Suddenly there was a knock on the galley door and the crew looked in confusion. Everyone, besides Zoro who was in the Crow’s nest, was in the galley and there shouldn’t be anyone else on the ship. Cautiously, Sanji opened the door, revealing a sheepish Bepo. Everyone had forgotten that the talking polar bear had been there the entire time.

“Bepo!” Nami exclaimed in surprise. “This is perfect! You used to live in the palace, right? And I bet you could sneak us in, as well.”

The polar bear was slightly alarmed by her outburst. “I guess I could,” he started hesitantly, but then remembered that this was all to save Law. “I mean, of course I will! Anything to save Law!”

Luffy cheered a bit, suddenly moved by his words. Zoro gave them a warning that Dressrosa was just up ahead and the remaining crew looked to one another before preparing for infiltration.

 

Law laid on his bed, an arm resting over his eyes. For some reason, as he recalled Doflamingo’s words from before, he felt that he wasn’t getting the complete truth. He knew better than to doubt him, of course, but there was just this odd feeling in his chest, like he had forgotten something important. He rolled onto his side, eyes closed as he tried to sleep it off. But his attempt at taking a nap was rudely interrupted by the sound of shouts and a loud explosion within the castle. He sat up quickly and ran to his barred window, trying to look and see what was happening. He saw the Straw Hats running through the courtyard, fighting their way through. For a moment, he was afraid that they came back so they could attack him. But then something told him that it was alright, that they weren’t here to cause him any harm.

 

Things had not gone according to plan. One group, Zoro, Sanji, Luffy, Franky and Bepo made their way to the palace. Bepo had tried to lead them into this secret tunnel he remembered travelling through once, but they couldn’t find it. After spending quite a long time searching for it, Luffy grew impatient and ran back towards the heavily guarded front entrance. The rest of his group followed with much reluctance, annoyed that their captain wasn’t following through with their plan. This resulted in them having to fight their way into the palace, gathering attention from everyone who happened to be nearby. That included Doflamingo himself who had been watching from his window.

“Mingo!” shouted Luffy from below. “Let  _ Torao _ go!”

Doflamingo scowled before disappearing into the palace. Don Quixote executives met the pirates on their doorstep, preparing to fight their intruders. While the Straw Hats were distracted, Doflamingo was headed to Law’s room, deciding that now was the time to use him rather than wait.

Luffy gave a punch to another henchman before Zoro called out to him. “Luffy! Go ahead, we’ll deal with these guys here,” he assured. The rubber-man looked back at his friends and they all gave him a nod and he returned the gesture, quickly jumping past everyone and into the castle he went.

 

Law watched the fight happen from his window, confused about how he should feel. But he felt that he remembered everything that happened before once Luffy shouted for him to be released. He clenched his fists, both glad and angry. “You idiot,” he muttered. “I told you I’m not worth saving.” His door opened and Doflamingo was standing there, hands folded behind his back. Law turned and narrowed his eyes at him suspiciously.

“What do you want?” he asked, hands searching for some sort of weapon as he moved against the wall.

“I’ve come to make a deal with you,” the king said. “In exchange for your freedom, I want you to perform a special kind of surgery on me.”

“Surgery?” Law paused, standing by his desk.

“Yes, what you never knew is that your power is capable of granting someone immortality, just by giving someone a certain type of surgery. If you can do this for me, I’ll set you free, I promise,” Doflamingo assured, holding his hands out as he stepped forward, trying to convince him as best as he could.

Law stared at him, hesitation obvious. A surgery that could grant someone immortality? He tried to remember something, anything that could convince him not to do it, even if it meant his freedom. An image came to mind. There was something written in a book he had read once, it was a long time ago, before Corazon had died. The user would die if he performed the surgery on another, that was the one downfall. Law couldn’t be free if he was dead, right?

“No,” he said, glaring at Doflamingo. “I won’t do it.”

The king’s smile faded and his eye twitched. “Why not?”

“I’m not going to sacrifice my life to grant immortality to a tyrant,” Law stated firmly, determination obvious.

At this point, Doflamingo knew that he could no longer convince him into giving him what he wanted. Damn, and he was hoping that he could have an eternal life sooner, but he supposed he would have to wait a little longer. “That’s a shame,” he said, lowering his arms. “You know, I had always believed that you could have been my successor, Law. That was, until you and my dear little brother betrayed me. Now I know, I should have killed you along with him that day.”

“What?” Law’s eyes were wide as the truth finally dawned on him. That day, thirteen years ago, it wasn’t the marines that killed him, it was Doflamingo. He should have known. He should have realized.  _ Why else was Doflamingo’s gun drawn and warm _ ? Before he could react any further, he felt his body move of its own accord, his hands shooting upwards to wrap around his own neck. He couldn’t breathe. His hands squeezed tighter and he choked, tears springing to his eyes. He fell to his knees, looking up at Doflamingo with anger and hatred.

“How does it feel to be betrayed so suddenly, Law? You trusted me, didn’t you? All those years, and you didn’t even know that I was the one who killed my own brother,” a sinister chuckle came from him. “But don’t worry, you’ll see him soon.” Law’s hands tightened their grip and he could barely even gasp for air and he keeled over, forehead pressing against the cold stone floor of his room. His vision blurred and his eyes stung with hot tears being forced from his ducts.

But suddenly, his hands released his neck and he choked on air, coughing violently. He looked up and saw Luffy hitting Doflamingo with a solid punch to the face. The man flew past him and crashed through the wall, landing somewhere outside.  Law breathed slowly and looked up, seeing a smiling face looking down at him. That was when he realized his hat had fallen off his head some time ago and he picked it up. Before he could put it on, though, Luffy had removed his own straw hat and placed it on Law’s head.

“You’re free now,  _ Torao _ ,” the pirate said before jumping out of the hole he created to finish his fight with Doflamingo. Law watched him leave for a moment and took the hat off his head to look at it. A smile made his way on to his face and he laid down with it still in his hands. The tears returned, but this time, he was happy.

“Cora- _ san _ , did you hear that?” he muttered. “I’m free.”


	9. 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Okay, so I realized that this chapter was really short, but I didn't leave me enough to write about last chapter!!! I hope you can forgive me for having such an abrupt ending, but I was really excited to end this. Thank you for reading for this long and for giving me all of this support! Some day, I hope I can write another big story like this one again.

**T** he battle ended with Luffy punching Doflamingo into the ground so hard that it collapsed beneath him. Law, and apparently Dressrosa, was now free from the dictatorship of the Warlord. Many cheers resounded around the kingdom and Luffy was marked as a hero. Law felt grateful, but he didn’t feel like admitting it, even when the rubber-man returned to him through the gaping hole in his wall with a triumphant grin.

“Are you okay?” he asked the older man who still sat on the floor, clutching the straw hat to his chest with an amazed expression. “Mingo was doing something weird to you earlier, right?”

That was when Law realized that he had almost been strangled to death and he subconsciously touched the bruises left on his neck from his own fingers. “I’m fine now,” he assured, though it still hurt to talk. “Thanks to you.”

Luffy gave his signature laugh before moving to sit beside Law on the floor, leaning back on his hands. Law gave a slight smile of his own, plopping the straw hat right onto the pirate’s head where it belonged. “So, are we gonna form an alliance now? You’re gonna make your own crew, right?” Luffy  asked curiously, adjusting the hat on his head.

Law had almost forgotten about the promise the rubber-man had made to him back on that island. That was right, they were going to form an alliance and help each other achieve their dreams. The only problem was figuring out how to form a crew of his own. But he could figure that out later, if Luffy could do it, then so could he. “Yeah, we can be allies,” he conceded, holding out his hand to shake. But instead of returning the gesture, the pirate took his hand and pulled him with him out of the hole in the wall. Unfortunately, that meant jumping out of a castle four stories high. Law didn’t even have it in him to shout in alarm, too tired to protest. Their fall was cushioned by Luffy’s transformation into a giant balloon and they bounced into the ruined courtyard. Everyone was waiting for them, smirks on all of their faces. Bepo approached his friend, holding his  _ Kikoku _ .

“I found it laying around,” the polar bear said as he handed it to him, he then gave a grin. “Captain.”

Law’s heart swelled at the word. To be called captain, that was something new and very much welcome. He tilted his hat to hide his happiness that was obvious in his eyes. Luffy clapped him on the back, a declaration on his lips. “I think this calls for another party!”

 

The whole kingdom celebrated Doflamingo’s downfall with parties all over the island. The Straw Hats were at the center of the commotion, partying the hardest and the loudest, Sanji’s cooking filling everyone’s stomachs, Brook’s music filling their ears, and the money of the civilians filling Nami’s pockets as she charged them for pictures and autographs. Law sat off to the side as per usual, not interested in getting too involved in their antics again. He learned that the hard way from the last parties they had when he had somehow gotten himself stuck in a barrel. Soon, Luffy invaded his privacy by tackling him with a hug from behind.

“Hey,  _ Torao _ !” he began cheerily, a slab of meat in his hand. “Let’s tell everyone about our alliance!”

Law was a bit unsure about the suggestion. What was the point in announcing it to everyone in the kingdom? Couldn’t they just do it later with just the crew? But Luffy was persistent and he dragged Law with him onto the highest height he could find. “Everyone! Listen up!” shouted the rubber-man, much to Law’s embarrassment. “I’ve got something to say!”

“Get down before you hurt yourself, idiot captain!” Zoro shouted from somewhere in the crowd, throwing a mug of ale at him but missing terribly. Obviously the alcohol had been affecting his aim.

“Shut up and just listen!” Luffy scolded before puffing out his chest as he prepared himself for the big announcement. “ _ Torao _ and I are.... Getting married!”

The entire kingdom was dead silent as they processed this information and Law was absolutely outraged. “I thought you said this was an alliance!” he exclaimed in confusion.

“It is! Alliance and marriage is the same thing, right?” Luffy gave a laugh. Before Law could protest further, everyone gave a cheer and shouted their congratulations at them.

“Good luck!”

“Have a happy marriage!”

“How many kids are you going to have?”

Law glared down at the crowd before giving a sigh. There was no escaping this now. But as he gave Luffy another glance, seeing the happy grin on his face, he thought that maybe he wouldn’t mind the promise of marriage, so long as he could be by his side.

  
_ end _ .


	10. AUTHOR'S NOTE

I just wanted to thank all of you for reading this far. I really appreciate all the support I've gotten from all of you to continue this story! I hope that, in the future, I'll be able to write another big story like this some day, maybe with some help because this didn't turn out that great. Anyway, I hope that you will all continue to support me so I have the courage to write more stories and fanfictions! I would also appreciate anything that promotes this story (fanart, reblogs, fic recs, etc.) that would make me the happiest person alive! I want to thank you all again for all of the support and reads! I'll see you all again soon!

Love, Alf


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